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Text: Zephaniah 3:17 ● As we like to do traditionally, if you’re sitting next to your mother, lean over and apologize to her right now…and don’t act like you don’t know why! (make it sincere) ● I confess, I have no experience as a mother and that’s why I find I’m always a bit hesitant about Mother’s Day presentations because it feels a bit as if I am lecturing my own mother on how to be a mom! ● I have yet to meet a mother who felt that she was doing a “good” job with her kids. I think most moms deal with a significant measure of “regret” and genuinely felt unqualified to meet all the challenges and execute all the duties of motherhood. You’re ‘performance review’ is usually done by your own kids (or mother-in-law). Societal pressures influence your mothering styles (previously it was ‘June Cleaver’, now you have to contend with ‘Angelina Jolie’!) ● A recent article in the USA Today described “Mommy Wars” as a confrontation between the ‘stay-at-home’ mom and the mothers in the workforce (‘Alpha’ moms). The ‘Alpha’ moms are seen as educated and organized, with plenty of technological savvy. The ‘Beta’ moms (‘Slacker’ moms) say that parenting is not a contest and that the ‘Alphas’ should “lighten up”. Test: You may be a ‘Slacker’ mom if you have… … bought something from the store, removed the plastic wrapping and passed it off as your own at the school bake sale, … used a stapler to hem your daughter’s pants as she’s walking out the door for school. ● Sadly, for many of you, you struggle with the ‘mothering template’ left by your own mother. I am aware that many today are not so sentimental about their mothers. USA Today blog posted on 5-12-07 Hmmm....what did I learn from my mom...lucky for me...NOTHING!!! She is a self-centered, materialistic, selfish person who is only out for her own happiness. Not all moms should be celebrated this Mother's Day. And, to those of you who have wonderful moms...YOU ARE VERY LUCKY. ● So, although you feel ill-equipped and insufficient …I APPLAUD YOU FOR TRYING! And, PLEASE KEEP TRYING! I’m convinced that your imprint on your child’s life is and will be stronger than any other single influence in the world. ● Zephaniah is given the often unenviable task of delivering a stern warning to the nation of Israel for their failure to live as the unique people of God. Israel has proven to the consummate ‘wayward child’ (in actuality, the story of the prodigal son is about Israel wandering from God, only to be welcomed back as they came to their senses). [Isaiah 1:2 “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me”.] ● Israel is God’s child (his son: Exodus 4:22). We get a chance to watch from their very earliest stages of development (where they celebrated their deliverance and dependence) on through their more defiant years (where they became proud and felt that they no longer ‘needed’ God). It’s the story of every son or daughter who begins to interpret loving-boundaries as restrictive and limiting; children who are eager to explore the possibilities presented and test the extent of a parent’s patience! ● In the midst of Israel’s identity crisis, Zephaniah is there with a message of comfort; an almost “motherly” tenderness. He refuses to dwell on the present struggles and failures, but determines to point her toward a more hopeful future. ● As I think about moms, I think about all the analogies in the Bible which speak to us about God as “father”; naturally, when we think about fathers we think in terms of ‘maleness’ or ‘masculinity’. Yet, we need to understand that God is ‘spirit’ (John 4:24); therefore, he’s not bound by the limitations of gender; our struggle to understand God is most often found in the limitations of the words we use to describe him. So, if you ask, “Is God male or female?”, the answer would be “yes”. Genesis 1:26 “So let us make man in our image… So God created man in his own image, male and female he created them”. ● We find Zephaniah’s writings portraying an image of God that is not only characteristically ‘mighty and strong’, but who also exhibits the qualities we often associate with femininity (gentle, quieting, and even playful). So, the God we most often address as “Father”, expresses all the qualities of a good “Mother”. ~ Your greatest contribution to your children is the gift of your presence (paradoxically, nothing more terrifying than her presence when you know she’ll be waiting up!) “The Lord your God is with you…” (present; available; accessible) “with you”… that’s where you’ll find mom; that’s where she’s most effective- right in the middle of whatever’s happening! Recitals, practices, dental appointments, etc. [“Mom”… the name most often yelled in the midst of conflict; the first name called when the kids are afraid; the ‘go to’ person when Dad screws up!] ● Moms are most often the parent who is able to calmly assess the situation and determine the best response. Dads deal in ‘logic and rationale’; moms deal with emotions and feelings. ~ Motherhood involves a balance of corrective discipline and gentle reassurance. It’s not just an angry reaction, but a stern response. Because you are so relational, you fight through the awkwardness of the tension and keep reaching out to ensure that the relationship is in tact (i.e. ‘I know your upset…, but do you still love mommy?’) vs.14,15- you almost hear a different tone in God’s voice, don’t you? As if he is equally relieved to be through with the discipline. “… he is mighty to save.” Sometimes ‘saving’ your children means intentionally positioning yourselves in harm’s way (in nature, one of the worst possible scenarios is for you to find yourself between a mother and her young); sometimes it requires getting out of the way! Luke 13:34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! [repeating the name- exasperation] The city that murders the prophets. The city that stones those sent to help her. How often I have wanted to gather your children together even as a hen protects her brood under her wings, but you wouldn’t let me”. ~ Mothers take great delight in their children. Moms, you are usually the ones that celebrate the “significantly-insignificant” moments in your child’s life (dads celebrate accomplishment- moms just revel in effort). ~ A mother’s unconditional love is the source of their children’s stability and contentment. “… he will quiet you with his love”. ● It’s what allows your kids to ‘rest’. It’s what allows them to experience the pain of your disappointment without feeling they’ve been rejected. I remember as a kid (trying to find my way), the only sense of a moral compass that I really had was how my mother would feel about me. ● I love the picture of God that Zephaniah paints for us; one that’s decidedly different from the one most often presented. ● Mom’s delight “in their children”… not for accomplishment or performance, just because they belong to her (i.e. it’s why the dad cringes when the child blows their lines, or hits the sour note in the recital; while mom sits poised with this contented grin). The passage is the image of a mom so caught up in the sheer delight of the moment that she bursts into spontaneous song! Moms… ever make up silly little songs about your kids while just reveling in them? “rejoice over you”- literally means ‘to spin around with excitement’. God sings over us! Singing songs about us is God’s loving response to us! ►“Does your picture of God include a deity who takes great delight just in being in the same room with you?” ►“Does he smile contentedly at your sincere efforts even when they prove to be unsuccessful?” ► “Is it a picture of a God so in love with you and so secure in himself that he can actually offer you praise? Does your God celebrate you?” ► “Would your God take you by the arms and spin you around the yard with no fear of appearing undignified?”
► “Can you imagine a God who bursts into song
because of you? Does your God make up songs about you? |
